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ATA President Jim May said passenger convenience will remain a priority as the airline industry plans its response to a set of rules proposed by the Department of Transportation yesterday. The regulations, which are open to public comment for 60 days, include provisions designed to better compensate bumped passengers, improve delay notifications and expand just-implemented tarmac delay rules to more carriers and airports.

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Two aviation consultants have issued a 113-page study showing that the DOT's three-hour cap on tarmac delays will inconvenience more passengers than it benefits. Darryl Jenkins and Joshua Marks found that airlines canceled 6,719 flights in May, a 40% increase over year-earlier figures. Over the course of a year, cancellations due to the tarmac-delay rule will inconvenience 406,000 passengers, according to the study, while the DOT has estimated that only 113,441 passengers will be spared a three-hour wait on the tarmac.

The Department of Transportation proposed several measures in an effort to protect air passengers. For example, the DOT proposed increasing the maximum compensation for involuntarily bumped passengers to $1,300, up from $800. Officials have also proposed expanding rules related to tarmac delays. Currently, the rules apply to domestic airlines at large and midsize airport hubs. The DOT would expand those to include all U.S. airports as well as foreign carriers.

Minnesota's leading newspaper says that following a recent tarmac delay in Rochester, Minn., "the long-simmering dispute over airline passenger rights appears to be reaching a boil." The paper notes that several trade groups now support federal limits on tarmac delays, and politicians are becoming more vocal. But the Air Transport Association continues to stress that a federal statute is "not a solution to the problem we face today." Noting the logistical challenges of deplaning delayed passengers, an ATA spokesman says a new law "will mean more flight delays. It will mean more flight cancellations. It will mean stranded passengers, children, pets."

Airlines and airports have developed procedures to help travelers avoid long delays on the tarmac, The Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney writes. Some airports now have buses available to evacuate passengers, and carriers say they now have better systems in place to track planes on the tarmac. However, airlines note that the desire to avoid holding passengers on planes for lengthy delays has instead led to more flight cancellations and more instances of people spending long hours at the airport.

California lawmakers will consider a bill that would require airlines to provide passengers with water, snacks, fresh air and clean restrooms if their aircraft is delayed on the tarmac for more than three hours. The Airline Passenger Bill of Rights is modeled after legislation that passed in New York. The Air Transport Association challenged the New York law and is appealing a ruling by a lower court. An ATA spokesman said the group will also oppose the proposed California law.